U.S. patent number 9,331,432 [Application Number 14/519,593] was granted by the patent office on 2016-05-03 for electrical connector having bussed ground contacts.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Tyco Electronics Corporation. The grantee listed for this patent is Tyco Electronics Corporation. Invention is credited to Michael John Phillips.
United States Patent |
9,331,432 |
Phillips |
May 3, 2016 |
Electrical connector having bussed ground contacts
Abstract
A contact assembly for an electrical connector includes a holder
and multiple ground contacts and signal contacts. The ground
contacts and signal contacts are held by the holder along an outer
side of the holder. The ground contacts and the signal contacts
each have a mating segment proximate to a front end of the holder
and a terminating segment proximate to a rear end of the holder.
Ground contacts nearest to each other define a contact spacing
therebetween. The nearest ground contacts are mechanically
connected by a bridge member that connects the mating segments of
the nearest ground contacts to electrically common the ground
contacts. At least one signal contact is disposed in the contact
spacing between the nearest ground contacts. The ground contacts
provide electrical shielding between the signal contacts that are
in different contact spacings.
Inventors: |
Phillips; Michael John (Camp
Hill, PA) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Tyco Electronics Corporation |
Berwyn |
PA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Tyco Electronics Corporation
(Berwyn, PA)
|
Family
ID: |
55749797 |
Appl.
No.: |
14/519,593 |
Filed: |
October 21, 2014 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01R
24/60 (20130101); H01R 13/6461 (20130101); H01R
2107/00 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H01R
13/648 (20060101); H01R 13/6471 (20110101); H01R
24/60 (20110101) |
Field of
Search: |
;439/607.05 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Duverne; Jean F
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A contact assembly for an electrical connector comprising: a
holder extending between a front end and a rear end; multiple
ground contacts held by the holder along an outer side of the
holder, the ground contacts each having a mating segment proximate
to the front end of the holder and a terminating segment proximate
to the rear end of the holder, ground contacts nearest to each
other defining a contact spacing therebetween, the nearest ground
contacts being mechanically connected by a bridge member that
connects the mating segments of the nearest ground contacts to
electrically common the ground contacts; and multiple signal
contacts held by the holder along the outer side of the holder, the
signal contacts each having a mating segment proximate to the front
end of the holder and a terminating segment proximate to the rear
end of the holder, at least one signal contact being disposed in
the contact spacing between the nearest ground contacts, wherein
the ground contacts provide electrical shielding between the signal
contacts that are in different contact spacings.
2. The contact assembly of claim 1, wherein the bridge members are
integral to the ground contacts as part of a unitary, one piece
conductive structure.
3. The contact assembly of claim 1, wherein the bridge members
connect distal tips of the mating segments of the nearest ground
contacts, the distal tips being embedded in the holder along the
outer side and the bridge members being encased by the holder
between the outer side and an opposite inner side of the
holder.
4. The contact assembly of claim 3, wherein the mating segments of
the ground contacts are planar and extend along the outer side of
the holder, the distal tips of the mating segments extending in an
interior direction into an interior region of the holder such that
the bridge members connecting the distal tips are disposed in the
interior region of the holder between the outer side and the inner
side of the holder.
5. The contact assembly of claim 1, wherein each mating segment of
the signal contacts and the ground contacts is separated from the
corresponding terminating segment by a jogged section that steps
the terminating segment outward to a different plane relative to
the mating segment.
6. The contact assembly of claim 1, wherein the holder has a
dielectric overmold body, the ground contacts and the signal
contacts being at least partially embedded in the overmold body to
hold the ground contacts and signal contacts in place.
7. The contact assembly of claim 1, wherein the electrical
connector is a plug connector, the front end of the holder being
configured to be inserted into an opening of a mating receptacle
connector, the bridge members configured to electrically common the
ground contacts of the plug connector within the opening of the
mating receptacle connector.
8. An electrical connector comprising: a shell having a cable end
and a mating end, the shell defining a cavity, the cavity extending
between a cable opening at the cable end and a mating opening at
the mating end; a contact assembly held in the shell, the contact
assembly including a holder, multiple ground contacts, and multiple
signal contacts, the holder extending longitudinally between a
front end and a rear end, the ground contacts and the signal
contacts each having a mating segment proximate to the front end
and a terminating segment proximate to the rear end, the ground
contacts and the signal contacts interspersed laterally across a
width of the holder, the mating segments of the ground contacts
being mechanically connected to the mating segments of nearest
ground contacts via bridge members to electrically common the
ground contacts; and plural cables terminated to the contact
assembly within the cavity of the shell, the cables extending from
the cable end of the shell through the cable opening, the cables
each including at least one signal conductor and at least one
grounding element, the signal conductors of the cables terminating
to the terminating segments of the signal contacts, the grounding
elements of the cables terminating to the terminating segments of
the ground contacts.
9. The electrical connector of claim 8, wherein the at least one
grounding element includes at least one of a cable shield, a cable
braid, or a drain wire.
10. The electrical connector of claim 8, wherein the contact
assembly is a first contact assembly and the electrical connector
further includes a second contact assembly, the holders of the
first and second contact assemblies each including an inner side
and an outer side, the inner side of the holder of the first
contact assembly facing the inner side of the holder of the second
contact assembly, the signal contacts and ground contacts of the
respective first and second contact assemblies held along the outer
sides of the respective holders.
11. The electrical connector of claim 8, wherein the bridge members
are integral to the ground contacts as part of a unitary, one piece
conductive structure.
12. The electrical connector of claim 8, wherein the bridge members
extend between distal tips of the mating segments of the nearest
ground contacts, the mating segments of the ground contacts are
planar and extend along an outer side of the holder, the distal
tips of the mating segments extending in an interior direction into
an interior region of the holder such that the bridge members
connecting the distal tips are disposed in the interior region of
the holder between the outer side and an opposite inner side of the
holder.
13. The electrical connector of claim 8, wherein the holder
includes ridges that define tracks therebetween, the ground
contacts and the signal contacts being disposed in the tracks to
hold the ground contacts and signal contacts in place.
14. The electrical connector of claim 8, wherein the front end of
the holder and the mating segments of the ground and signal
contacts extend from the mating end of the shell through the mating
opening to be received within an opening of a mating receptacle
connector.
15. An electrical connector comprising: a shell having a cable end
and a mating end, the shell defining a cavity, the cavity extending
between a cable opening at the cable end and a mating opening at
the mating end; a contact module held in the cavity of the shell,
the contact module having first and second contact assemblies that
each include a holder, multiple signal contacts, and multiple
ground contacts, the holders each have an inner side and an outer
side, the inner side of the holder of the first contact assembly
facing the inner side of the holder of the second contact assembly
such that the outer sides face outward, the signal contacts and
ground contacts being held along the outer side of the respective
holder, distal tips of the ground contacts of each contact assembly
extending from the outer side of the respective holder in an
interior direction towards the inner side and towards the distal
tips of the ground contacts of the other of the first or second
contact assembly, the distal tips of nearest ground contacts of
each contact assembly being mechanically connected to each other
via bridge members, the bridge members being disposed within an
interior region of the respective holder between the outer side and
the inner side; and plural cables terminated to the contact module
within the cavity of the shell, the cables extending from the cable
end of the shell through the cable opening.
16. The electrical connector of claim 15, wherein the signal
contacts and the ground contacts of the first and second contact
assemblies each have a mating segment and a terminating segment,
the holders of the first and second contact assemblies each having
a front tray that holds the mating segments of the signal and
ground contacts and a rear tray that holds the terminating segments
of the signal and ground contacts.
17. The electrical connector of claim 16, wherein the cables each
include at least one signal conductor and at least one grounding
element, the signal conductors of the cables terminating to the
terminating segments of the signal contacts, the grounding elements
of the cables terminating to the terminating segments of the ground
contacts.
18. The electrical connector of claim 15, wherein the holders of
the first and second contact assemblies each have a dielectric
overmold body, the ground contacts and the signal contacts being at
least partially embedded in the overmold body to hold the ground
contacts and signal contacts in place.
19. The electrical connector of claim 15, wherein the bridge
members are integral to the ground contacts as part of a unitary,
one piece conductive structure.
20. The electrical connector of claim 15, wherein the nearest
ground contacts of each contact assembly define a contact spacing
therebetween and at least one signal contact is disposed in the
contact spacing, the ground contacts extending farther towards a
front end of the respective holder than the signal contacts such
that the bridge members extending across the contact spacings to
connect the nearest ground contacts are more proximate to the front
end than distal ends of the signal contacts.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The subject matter herein relates generally to electrical
connectors that have ground buses that electrically common ground
contacts.
Typically, high speed electrical connectors experience significant
electrical interference, such as cross-talk and resonant frequency
noise, within the mating interface zone where two electrical
connectors electrically engage each other. For example, within the
mating interface zone, high speed connectors may exhibit resonance
spikes, which degrade signal transmission performance of the
connectors. To improve performance by reducing the electrical
interference in the mating interface zone, some known electrical
connectors include discrete ground bars that are placed in either
the plug connector or the receptacle connector. The ground bars
typically have beam style contacts that extend into mechanical
contact with ground contacts of the plug connector and/or the
receptacle connector.
However, adding additional deflectable beams complicates efforts to
control alignment between the contacts of the plug and receptacle
connectors and increases the normal forces exerted between the
contacts during mating. For example, the beams of the ground bars
are additional moving components with a separable interface that
must align properly with the ground contacts of the plug and
receptacle connectors to function properly. As such, the ground
bars that include deflectable beam style contacts add a level of
complexity to the connector assembly and may be unreliable due to
mismanagement of the mechanical forces and/or alignment between the
beam contacts of the ground bars and the ground contacts of the
plug and receptacle connectors. A need remains for a simple and
reliable structure for electrically connecting or tying ground
contacts together in the mating interface zone of an electrical
connector.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In an embodiment, a contact assembly for an electrical connector
includes a holder, multiple ground contacts, and multiple signal
contacts. The holder extends between a front end and a rear end.
The ground contacts are held by the holder along an outer side of
the holder. The ground contacts each have a mating segment
proximate to the front end of the holder and a terminating segment
proximate to the rear end of the holder. Ground contacts nearest to
each other define a contact spacing therebetween. The nearest
ground contacts are mechanically connected by a bridge member that
connects the mating segments of the nearest ground contacts to
electrically common the ground contacts. The signal contacts are
held by the holder along the outer side of the holder. The signal
contacts each have a mating segment proximate to the front end of
the holder and a terminating segment proximate to the rear end of
the holder. At least one signal contact is disposed in the contact
spacing between the nearest ground contacts. The ground contacts
provide electrical shielding between the signal contacts that are
in different contact spacings.
In another embodiment, an electrical connector includes a shell, a
contact assembly, and plural cables. The shell has a cable end and
a mating end. The shell defines a cavity. The cavity extends
between a cable opening at the cable end and a mating opening at
the mating end. The contact assembly is held in the shell. The
contact assembly includes a holder, multiple ground contacts, and
multiple signal contacts. The holder extends longitudinally between
a front end and a rear end. The ground contacts and the signal
contacts each have a mating segment proximate to the front end and
a terminating segment proximate to the rear end. The ground
contacts and the signal contacts are interspersed laterally across
a width of the holder. The mating segments of the ground contacts
are mechanically connected to the mating segments of the nearest
ground contacts via bridge members to electrically common the
ground contacts. The cables are terminated to the contact assembly
within the cavity of the shell. The cables extend from the cable
end of the shell through the cable opening. The cables each include
at least one signal conductor and at least one grounding element.
The signal conductors of the cables terminate to the terminating
segments of the signal contacts. At least one grounding element of
each cable terminates to the terminating segment of one of the
ground contacts.
In an embodiment, an electrical connector includes a shell, a
contact module, and plural cables. The shell has a cable end and a
mating end. The shell defines a cavity. The cavity extends between
a cable opening at the cable end and a mating opening at the mating
end. The contact module is held in the cavity of the shell. The
contact module has first and second contact assemblies that each
includes a holder, multiple signal contacts, and multiple ground
contacts. The holders each have an inner side and an outer side.
The inner side of the holder of the first contact assembly faces
the inner side of the holder of the second contact assembly such
that the outer sides face outward. The signal contacts and ground
contacts are held along the outer side of the respective holder.
Distal tips of the ground contacts of each contact assembly extend
from the outer side of the respective holder in an interior
direction towards the inner side and towards the distal tips of the
ground contacts of the other of the first or second contact
assembly. The distal tips of nearest ground contacts of each
contact assembly are mechanically connected to each other via
bridge members. The bridge members are disposed within an interior
region of the respective holder between the outer side and the
inner side. The cables are terminated to the contact module within
the cavity of the shell. The cables extend from the cable end of
the shell through the cable opening.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective cross-section of two mated electrical
connectors according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a plug electrical connector
according to an embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a contact module and cables of the
plug electrical connector according to an embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a grounding frame of the plug
electrical connector according to an embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a perspective cross-section of a portion of a contact
assembly of the plug electrical connector according to an
embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 is a perspective cross-section of two mated electrical
connectors according to an embodiment. The electrical connectors
include a first connector 100 and a second connector 102. The
electrical connectors 100, 102 may be high speed connectors that
transmit data signals at speeds between 25 and 50 gigabits per
second (Gb/s), or more. For example, the electrical connectors 100,
102 may be high speed transceiver-type connectors. The data signals
may be optical signals conveyed via fiber optics and/or electrical
signals conveyed via conductive wires. The first electrical
connector 100 is shown in FIG. 1 as a cable-mount connector that is
terminated to a cable 104. The second electrical connector 102 is
shown as a vertical board-mount connector that is configured to be
mounted to a circuit board (not shown). The first connector 100 may
be a plug connector and the second connector 102 may be a
receptacle connector. As used herein, the first electrical
connector 100 may be referred to as plug connector 100 or plug
electrical connector 100, and the second electrical connector 102
may be referred to as receptacle connector 102 or receptacle
electrical connector 102. In one or more alternative embodiments,
the first connector 100 may be the receptacle, and the second
connector 102 may be the plug.
The receptacle connector 102 includes a shell 106 that at least
partially surrounds a housing 108. The housing 108 holds a
plurality of receptacle contacts 110. The receptacle contacts 110
have deflectable contact beams 112 and mounting feet 114. The
mounting feet 114 are configured to be mounted, such as by
soldering, adhesives, or mechanical fasteners, to contact pads of
the circuit board. The housing 108 includes at least one post 116
configured to be through-hole mounted to the circuit board. The
shell 106 may also include a fastener that couples the shell 106 to
the circuit board. For example, the shell 106 may include multiple
sets of retention clips 118 that engage the circuit board. The
mounting feet 114, post 116, and/or retention clips 118 hold the
receptacle connector 102 on the circuit board.
The plug connector 100 includes a shell 120 that at least partially
surrounds a contact module 122 that holds multiple plug contacts
124. A front end 126 of the contact module 122 extends forward from
a mating opening 128 of the shell 120. As used herein, relative or
spatial terms such as "front," "rear," "top," "bottom," "first,"
and "second" are only used to distinguish the referenced elements
and do not necessarily require particular positions or orientations
in one or both of the electrical connectors 100, 102 relative to
gravity or relative to the surrounding environment of the
electrical connectors 100, 102. The cable 104 extends from a rear,
cable end 130 of the shell 120. The cable 104 includes multiple
sub-cables 132 that enter a cavity 134 of the shell 120 and
terminate to the plug contacts 124 of the contact module 122.
When the plug connector 100 and the receptacle connector 102 are
mated, as shown in FIG. 1, the front end 126 of the contact module
122 of the plug connector 100 enters an opening or socket 136
defined by the housing 108 of the receptacle connector 102. The
plug contacts 124 on the contact module 122 mechanically and
electrically engage the receptacle contacts 110 in a mating
interface zone 138. For example, the mating interface zone 138 may
be the area within the socket 136 of the housing 108, where the
plug contacts 124 are exposed to and engage the receptacle contacts
110, and vice-versa. The electrical connection between the contacts
124, 110 provides a signal path through the connectors 100, 102
between the cable 104 and the circuit board, for example.
Electrical interference, such as cross-talk and resonant frequency
noise spikes, is typically a concern in the mating interface zone
138. The electrical interference increases with increasing
electrical throughput. Some known high-speed connector assemblies
install a discrete ground bus bar in the mating interface zone 138.
The ground bus bar is designed to electrically common ground
contacts of the plug and/or the receptacle, which reduces the
resonance spikes in the mating interface zone. The ground bus bar
typically includes multiple beam-style contacts that are configured
to engage the plug contacts, the receptacle contacts, or both
during a mating operation. As described above, introducing another
separable contact interface in addition to the interface between
corresponding plug and receptacle contacts is complicated and may
be unreliable. For example, the force applied by the contact beam
of the ground bus bar on the receptacle contact may interfere with
the engagement between the receptacle contact and the plug contact,
disrupting or breaking the electrical connection across the
connectors. In another example, one or more of the contact beams of
the ground bus bar may not engage the plug contact or the
receptacle contact due to misalignment, for example, which prevents
the ground bus bar from providing grounding to that contact pair.
In one or more embodiments of the inventive subject matter
described herein, the plug connector 100 includes a ground bus bar
in the mating interface zone 138 formed by bridge members that link
adjacent or nearest ground contacts together. The bridge members
may be formed integral with the ground contacts. The bridge members
may be surrounded or encased by the contact module 122. As a
result, the ground bus bar described herein avoids problems
associated with having beam-style contacts extending from a fixed
platform, where the beam-style contacts must be specially aligned
and formed to properly engage the plug contacts and/or the
receptacle contacts during a mating operation.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the plug electrical connector 100
according to an embodiment. The plug electrical connector 100
includes the shell 120, the contact module 122, and the cables 132.
The plug connector 100 is oriented with respect to a longitudinal
axis 191, a lateral axis 192, and a vertical or elevation axis 193.
The axes 191-193 are mutually perpendicular. Although the elevation
axis 193 appears to extend in a vertical direction parallel to
gravity in FIG. 2, it is understood that the axes 191-193 are not
required to have any particular orientation with respect to
gravity.
The shell 120 may be formed by coupling two half shells. In FIG. 2,
only a lower half shell 140 of the two half shells is shown. The
upper half shell (not shown) and the lower half shell 140 may be
identical and hermaphroditic, such that the upper half shell
mirrors the lower half shell 140. The lower half shell 140 and the
upper half shell includes complementary coupling features. For
example, the lower half shell 140 includes two posts 142 that
protrude from a first wall 144 and two post-receiving holes 146 in
an opposite second wall 148. The upper half shell may also have the
same coupling features, such that when the upper half shell placed
over the lower half shell 140, the posts 142 are received in holes
of the upper half shell, and the holes 146 receive posts of the
upper half shell. The coupling features secure the upper half shell
to the lower half shell 140 to define the shell 120. The shell 120
extends longitudinally (for example, along the longitudinal axis
191) between the cable end 130 and a mating end 150. The shell 120
defines the cavity 134 between the cable end 130 and the mating end
150, and between the first wall 144 and the second wall 148. The
cable end 130 includes a cable opening 152. The mating end 150
defines the mating opening 128. The cavity 134 extends between the
cable opening 152 and the mating opening 128.
The sub-cables 132 of the cable 104 (shown in FIG. 1) terminate to
the contact module 122 within the cavity 134. As used herein, the
sub-cables 132 may be referred to as cables 132. In FIG. 2, only
proximal portions of the cables 132 are shown in order to better
illustrate the structure of other components, such as the shell
120. Therefore, although not shown, the cables 132 extend through
the cavity 134 and out of the shell 120 through the cable opening
152 at the cable end 130. Out of the shell 120, the cables 132 are
commonly surrounded by a jacket layer to define the cable 104, as
shown in FIG. 1.
The contact module 122 in an embodiment includes two contact
assemblies 154. For example, the contact module 122 in FIG. 2 has a
first contact assembly 154A and a second contact assembly 154B. The
first and second contact assemblies 154A, 154B are adjacent to each
other. In FIG. 2, the first contact assembly 154A is above the
second contact assembly 154B. The contact assemblies 154A, 154B may
abut each other at a crease 156. Alternatively, the contact
assemblies 154A, 154B may be spaced apart via an intermediary panel
(not shown). Although two contact assemblies 154A, 154B are shown
in the illustrated embodiment, the contact module 122 may include
only one contact assembly 154 or more than two contact assemblies
154 in other embodiments. Each contact assembly 154A, 154B includes
a holder 158 that holds multiple signal contacts 160 and multiple
ground contacts 162. The signal contacts 160 and ground contacts
162 define the plug contacts 124 shown in FIG. 1. The holder 158
and contacts 160, 162 of each contact assembly 154A, 154B may be
identical or at least substantially similar. Thus, the following
description may correspond to either contact assembly 154A,
154B.
The holder 158 extends longitudinally between a front end 164 and a
rear end 166. The holder 158 extends laterally between a left side
168 and a right side 170. The signal contacts 160 and the ground
contacts 162 are interspersed across a width of the holder 158 (for
example, between the left and right sides 168, 170 along the
lateral axis 192). The signal contacts 160 and the ground contacts
162 may extend parallel to each other along the longitudinal axis
191. Ground contacts 162 that are nearest to each other define a
contact spacing 172 therebetween. As used herein, nearest ground
contacts 162 refers to two ground contacts 162 that are not
separated from each other by any other ground contacts 162. At
least one signal contact 160 is disposed in the contact spacing 172
between the two ground contacts 162. The nearest ground contacts
162 may be referred to herein as adjacent ground contacts 162,
although it is understood that the nearest or adjacent ground
contacts 162 may be separated by one or more signal contacts 160.
In an embodiment, two signal contacts 160 are within each contact
spacing 172, such that the signal and ground contacts 160, 162 are
arranged in a repeating ground-signal-signal-ground-signal-signal
pattern. The ground contacts 162 provide electrical shielding
between the signal contacts 160 that are in different contact
spacings 172. For example, one ground contact 162 provides
shielding between two signal contacts 160 located on respective
opposite sides of the ground contact 162. In other embodiments, the
signal and ground contacts 160, 162 may be arranged in other
patterns, such as an alternating signal-ground-signal-ground
pattern.
The front end 164 of the holder 158 is configured to be inserted
into an opening of a mating connector, such as the socket 136
(shown in FIG. 1) of the receptacle connector 102 (FIG. 1), during
a mating operation. For example, the front end 164 of the holder
158 may define the front end 126 (FIG. 1) of the contact module
122. A front portion 174 of the holder 158 that includes the front
end 164 extends forward from the mating end 150 of the shell 120
through the mating opening 128. When the plug connector 100 mates
to the receptacle connector 102, the front portion 174 of the
holder 158 enters the socket 136 of the housing 108 (FIG. 1), but
the shell 120 does not. The front portion 174 of the holder 158
holds portions of the signal and ground contacts 160, 162 which
also enter the socket 136 during mating.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the contact module 122 and cables
132 of the plug electrical connector 100 (shown in FIGS. 1 and 2)
according to an embodiment. The contact module 122 has the two
contact assemblies 154A, 154B shown in FIG. 2. The holder 158 of
each contact assembly 154A, 154B includes an inner side 176 and an
outer side 178. The inner side 176A of the holder 158 of the first
contact assembly 154A faces the inner side 176B of the holder 158
of the second contact assembly 154B. For example, the inner sides
176A, 176B may be pressed into engagement with each other. The
outer sides 178A, 178B of the holders 158 of the first and second
contact assemblies 154A, 154B face outwards. The signal contacts
160 and the ground contacts 162 are held along the outer side 178
of the respective holder 158. Only the signal and ground contacts
160, 162 of the first contact assembly 154A are visible in FIG. 3.
The arrangement of the contacts 160, 162 on the outer sides 178A,
178B allows the contacts 160, 162 to engage mating contacts (such
as the receptacle contacts 110 shown in FIG. 1) on either side of
the contact module 122 when the contact module 122 is loaded into
the socket 136 (shown in FIG. 1) of the receptacle connector 102
(FIG. 1).
The holder 158 may include ridges 180 along the outer side 178. The
ridges 180 extend longitudinally and define tracks 182
therebetween. The ground contacts 162 and the signal contacts 160
are disposed in the tracks 182 between the ridges 180, which hold
the contacts 160, 162 in place. For example, the ridges 180 and the
tracks 182 may hold the contacts 160, 162 on the holder 158, and
may hold the contacts 160, 162 at predefined positions relative to
each other, thereby preventing electrical shorts that would occur
if the contacts 160, 162 were to engage each other. For example,
the contacts 160, 162 may be embedded in the tracks 182 between the
surrounding ridges 180.
In an embodiment, the holder 158 has a dielectric overmold body
186. The holder 158 may be formed in a molding process in which
dielectric material is injected into a mold around the contacts
160, 162. The dielectric material may be a polymer or a polymer
compound. The dielectric material molds around the contacts 160,
162 and forms the overmold body 186. The signal and ground contacts
160, 162 may be embedded in the overmold body 186. As described
below, at least part of the contacts 160, 162 may be encased (for
example, encompassed or fully surrounded) by the dielectric
overmold body 186 of the holder 158, which may occur during the
molding process.
The signal contacts 160 and the ground contacts 162 each have a
mating segment 184 that is proximate to the front end 164 of the
holder 158 and a terminating segment 188 that is proximate to the
rear end 166 of the holder 158. The mating segments 184 are
configured to engage mating contacts (such as the receptacle
contacts 110 shown in FIG. 1). The terminating segments 188 are
configured to engage conductive components of the cables 132 to
terminate the contacts 160, 162 to the cables 132. The mating
segments 184 need not be at the front end 164 of the holder 158,
but are at least more proximate to the front end 164 than the
proximity of the terminating segments 188 to the front end 164.
Likewise, the terminating segments 188 need not be at the rear end
166, but are at least more proximate to the rear end 166 than the
proximity of the mating segments 184 to the rear end 166. In an
embodiment, the mating segments 184 of the ground contacts 162 are
longer and extend farther towards the front end 164 of the holder
158 than the mating segments 184 of the signal contacts 160.
Alternatively, the mating segments 184 of the ground contacts 162
may be equal to or shorter than the mating segments 184 of the
signal contacts 160.
The holder 158 includes a front tray 190 that holds the mating
segments 184 of the contacts 160, 162, and a rear tray 194 that
holds the terminating segments 188 of the contacts 160, 162. The
mating segments 184 and the terminating segments 188 of the
contacts 160, 162 may be held flat and planar to the outer sides
178 of the respective front and rear trays 190, 194. The holder 158
may also include a base portion 196 disposed longitudinally between
the front and rear trays 190, 194. The base portion 196 divides the
front and rear trays 190, 194 and also may be used to secure the
contacts 160, 162 to the holder 158. For example, the contacts 160,
162 may extend through the base portion 196 such that the portion
of the contacts 160, 162 through the base portion 196 is encased by
the overmold body 186 of the holder 158.
The cables 132 each include at least one signal conductor 197 and
at least one grounding element 198. Each signal conductor 197 is
terminated to the terminating segment 188 of a different signal
contact 160. One grounding element 198 of each cable 132 is
terminated to the terminating segment 188 of one ground contact
162. The at least one signal conductor 197 may be a metal wire. The
at least one grounding element 198 may be a cable shield, such as a
metallic foil layer, a cable braid, a drain wire, or the like. The
signal conductors 197 and the grounding elements 198 may be
terminated to the terminating segments 188 of the respective
contacts 160, 162 by soldering, welding, adhesives, mechanical
fasteners, or the like. The cables 132 in an embodiment are twin
axial cables that include two signal conductors 197 and a drain
wire grounding element 198 commonly surrounded by a cover layer 199
for insulation and protection. The two signal conductors 197 may
define a differential signal pair. As such, each cable 132 may
terminate to two signal contacts 160 and one ground contact 162. In
alternative embodiments, at least some of the cables 132 may have
other than two signal conductors 197. In the illustrated
embodiment, the contact module 122 further includes multiple
single-ended wires 200. The single-ended wires 200 include a signal
conductor 197 and a cover layer 199. The single-ended wires 200
terminate to signal contacts 160 but not ground contacts 162, and
are not used for high-speed data transmissions, unlike the cables
132.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a grounding frame 202 of the plug
electrical connector 100 (shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) according to an
embodiment. The grounding frame 202 includes at least some of the
ground contacts 162 of one contact assembly 154A or 154B (shown in
FIG. 3). In an embodiment, the mating segments 184 of the ground
contacts 162 are separated from the terminating segments 188 by a
jogged section 204. The jogged section 204 forms an S-shape that
steps the terminating segment 188 of the ground contact 162 outward
to a different plane relative to the mating segment 184. Due to the
jogged section 204, the terminating segment 188 is offset from the
mating segment 184. In an embodiment, the signal contacts 160
(shown in FIG. 3) have jogged sections similar to the jogged
sections 204 of the ground contacts 162. Referring back to FIG. 3,
the jogged sections 204 may be disposed within the base portion 196
of the holder 158. The base portion 196 may encase or encompass the
jogged sections 204 to hold the contacts 160, 162 in place on the
holder 158. The terminating segments 188 of the signal and ground
contacts 160, 162 along the rear tray 194 are further outward (from
the inner side 176 of the holder 158) than the mating segments 184,
which provides more space for the cables 132 at the rear end 166 of
the holder 158.
Referring now back to FIG. 4, the mating segments 184 of the ground
contacts 162 extend from the jogged sections 204 to distal tips
206. The distal tips 206 of adjacent ground contacts 162 in the
grounding frame 202 may be mechanically connected to each other by
bridge members 208. The bridge members 208 link the adjacent ground
contacts 162 together, which electrically commons the ground
contacts 162. The distal tips 206 of the ground contacts 162 are
ends of the ground contacts 162 most proximate to the front end 164
(shown in FIG. 3) of the holder 158 (FIG. 3). As such, when the
front portion 174 (shown in FIG. 2) of the holder 158 enters the
socket 136 (FIG. 1) of the housing 108 (FIG. 1) of the receptacle
connector 102 (FIG. 1) during mating, the bridge members 208
electrically common the ground contacts 162 in the mating interface
zone 138 (FIG. 1).
The bridge members 208 may extend in a line 210 across a width of
the grounding frame 202. The line 210 extends transverse to the
orientation of the ground contacts 162. The bridge members 208 at
the distal tips 206 of the ground contacts 162 may be the only
mechanical connections between the ground contacts 162.
Alternatively, the grounding frame 202 may include multiple bridge
members 208 along the length of the ground contacts 162 that
connect the same two adjacent ground contacts 162. For example, in
addition to the bridge member 208 connecting the distal tips 206,
an additional bridge member may connect the same two ground
contacts 162 along the mating segments 184 closer to the jogged
section 204. In an alternative embodiment, instead of connecting
the distal tips 206, the bridge member 208 may be spaced apart from
the distal tips 206 such as closer to the jogged sections 204.
In an embodiment, the bridge members 208 are integral to the ground
contacts 162, and the grounding frame 202 is a unitary, one piece
conductive structure. For example, the grounding frame 202 may be
stamped and formed from a panel of metal to include the ground
contacts 162 and connecting bridge members 208. In an alternative
embodiment, the grounding frame 202 is constructed by fastening
discrete bridge members 208 to discrete ground contacts 162.
In an embodiment, the mating segments 184 of the ground contacts
162 are planar, and the distal tips 206 of the ground contacts 162
extend out of plane from the mating segments 184. The distal tips
206 may be curved or otherwise angled away from the mating segments
184. As a result, the bridge members 208 that connect the distal
tips 206 may be stepped or offset from the mating segments 184, as
described with reference to FIG. 5 below.
FIG. 5 is a perspective cross-section of a portion of a contact
assembly 154 of the plug electrical connector 100 (shown in FIG. 1)
according to an embodiment. The contact assembly 154 may be the
first contact assembly 154A in the contact module 122 shown in FIG.
3. Although not shown, the inner side 176 (shown in FIG. 3) of the
second contact assembly 154B (FIG. 3) may abut or at least face the
inner side 176 of the holder 158 shown in FIG. 5. The cross-section
shown in FIG. 5 extends through one ground contact 162 and the
holder 158.
The mating segments 184 of the signal contacts 160 and the ground
contacts 162 extend planar along the outer side 178 of the holder
158. In an embodiment, the distal tips 206 of the ground contacts
162 extend from the outer side 178 in an interior direction 220
towards the inner side 176. The distal tips 206 extend into an
interior region 222 of the holder 158 that is between the outer
side 178 and the inner side 176. Since the second contact assembly
154B (shown in FIG. 3) may be disposed along the inner side 176 of
the contact assembly 154 shown in FIG. 5, the distal tips 206 may
extend towards the distal tips of the ground contacts of the second
contact assembly, and vice versa.
The bridge members 208 that connect the distal tips 206 of the
ground contacts 162 may be at least partially disposed in the
interior region 222 of the holder 158. For example, the bridge
members 208 may be partially embedded in the holder 158 such that
only a portion of each bridge member 208 is in the interior region
222. Optionally, the bridge members 208 are encased within the
holder 158 such that the bridge members 208 are fully covered or
surrounded by the holder 158 within the interior region 222 between
the inner and outer sides 176, 178. For example, the curved distal
tips 206 may be embedded, while the bridge members 208 may be
encased. As shown in FIG. 5, the bridge members 208 are shown in
phantom because the bridge members 208 are in the interior region
222 below the outer side 178.
In an embodiment, the ground contacts 162 extend closer to the
front end 164 than the signal contacts 160, and the distal tips 206
of the ground contacts 162 are therefore more proximate to the
front end 164 than distal ends 212 of the signal contacts 160.
Therefore, the bridge members 208, which extend across the contact
spacings 172 between the distal tips 206, are spaced apart
longitudinally from the distal ends 212 of the signal contacts 160.
The bridge members 208 are more proximate to the front end 164 than
the distal ends 212, so the bridge members 208 do not interfere
with the signal contacts 160. In addition, the bridge members 208
may be disposed along a different plane between the inner and outer
sides 176, 178 than the signal contacts 160, such that the bridge
members 208 would not mechanically contact and interfere with the
signal contacts 160 even if the signal contacts 160 extend across
the bridge members 208.
In an embodiment, the bridge members 208 electrically common the
ground contacts 162 within the mating interface zone 138 (shown in
FIG. 1) to reduce resonance spikes and other electrical
interference in the mating interface zone 138. Furthermore, the
bridge members 208 are integral to the contact module 122 (shown in
FIG. 1), which avoids the issues inherent with controlling beam
style contacts of known ground bars that form separable mating
interfaces with the receptacle and/or plug contacts. The
embodiments of the plug electrical connector 100 (shown in FIGS. 1
and 2) described herein may be easier to assemble and more reliable
than known electrical connectors that have ground bars in the
mating zone.
It is to be understood that the above description is intended to be
illustrative, and not restrictive. For example, the above-described
embodiments (and/or aspects thereof) may be used in combination
with each other. In addition, many modifications may be made to
adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the
invention without departing from its scope. Dimensions, types of
materials, orientations of the various components, and the number
and positions of the various components described herein are
intended to define parameters of certain embodiments, and are by no
means limiting and are merely exemplary embodiments. Many other
embodiments and modifications within the spirit and scope of the
claims will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing
the above description. The scope of the invention should,
therefore, be determined with reference to the appended claims,
along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are
entitled. In the appended claims, the terms "including" and "in
which" are used as the plain-English equivalents of the respective
terms "comprising" and "wherein." Moreover, in the following
claims, the terms "first," "second," and "third," etc. are used
merely as labels, and are not intended to impose numerical
requirements on their objects. Further, the limitations of the
following claims are not written in means-plus-function format and
are not intended to be interpreted based on 35 U.S.C. .sctn.112(f),
unless and until such claim limitations expressly use the phrase
"means for" followed by a statement of function void of further
structure.
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